An Education on Easter

I love Christianity partly because Christians celebrate stolen holidays.

Easter and Christmas are perfect examples. Christmas celebrates Jesus' birth on December 25th of every year, even though most Biblical scholars will tell you they have no idea when Jesus was born. You know what else is celebrated around then? The winter solstice, when the nights start getting longer. The harvest is done for the year and it's time to hunker down for the cold winter ahead. A common practice in the olden days was to burn a Yule log. Sound familiar? So should the fact that Germanic pagans decorated their houses with evergreen, holly and mistletoe.

Easter has a similar story. While Jesus' death is given a definite time frame (the Friday after Passover), it still has a lot of stolen symbology. Easter gets it's name from Ostara, which is the name of the neopagan celebration of the vernal equinox. Ostara gets it's name from the Germanic pagan goddess Ēostre. They are pretty much used interchangebly. If you dig a little to find out who she is, you'd find that she is the goddess of spring and fertility. Symbols associated with her are rabbits and eggs, symbols of fertility. Again, sound familiar?

There are westernized versions of most of the 8 Wiccan sabbats if you think about it. Halloween = Samhain, a celebration of your ancestors. It's no coincidence that the Catholic All Saint's Day is Nov. 1st and subsquently the Hispanic Día de los Muertos is Nov. 2nd. Imbolc = Groundhog's Day, the longest day of the winter. The days will always start to get shorter after that, so no matter what Punxsutawney Phil tells you, spring will always be a few weeks away. Beltane = May Day, the beginning of of the planting season. Litha, Lammas and Mabon don't have any modern day holidays that have been commandeered by Christianity.

The reason there are so many parallels between these pagan celebrations and Christian/Western holidays is because they wanted to ease the converted pagans into their new religion.

There's your history lesson for the day.

People always wonder why I have a problem with Christianity. I don't have a problem with the religion at all. It's the Christians that I have a problem with. I think at the heart of it all, Christianity is about wanting to make people better and have them act kindly towards others. It gives them morals and values to believe in and for you to use to guide your life. That's a good thing. I just don't like the way Christians behave with people who think differently from them. Religious intolerance led us to the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Holocaust. I can't claim to be a Christian when I believe that Jesus would not want his followers to have this "our way or the highway" mentality that I feel they currently have. To me, it was stiffling going to church towards the end. I'm a woman of science and reason. I was tired of them trying to convince me to abandon my belief in evolution, which is based on evidence that I can see, for blind faith. To quote Robert Langdon in "Angels and Demons," "Faith is a gift I have yet to receive." And I refuse to associate myself with a religion that is so intolerate of homosexuality and base this intolerance on a few Bible verses, when these verses can plainly be seen as outdated when read in context. I mean, there's one where homosexual behavior is condemned because the writer was in an area still heavily under the spell of Greco-Roman gods and near temples for fertility gods and goddesses. These people he was condemning were simply worshipping their gods, and since they weren't his god he condemned them and their behavior to sway people towards his religion. Long story short, religion in general has evolved with us and everyone in the past has been pretty sure that their religion is the right one, so what makes me so sure that Christianity is the right one for me? Nothing.

Happy Easter/Ēostre/Fertility Symbols Day!

Huh?

Can someone please explain to me how the healthcare bill equals any of these?

(Definitions taken from dictionary.com)

Communism:
–noun
1. a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
2. (often initial capital letter) a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.
3. (initial capital letter) the principles and practices of the Communist party.

Socialism:
–noun
1. a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
2. procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.
3. (in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.

Fascism:
–noun
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3. (initial capital letter) a fascist movement, esp. the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43.

The GOP is just throwing around these scary-sounding words and not paying any attention to the meaning of these words they nonchalantly throw out at the masses. And since the average American is an idiot (sorry, but we collectively have the IQ of a rock. Either get over that fact or get an education), they hear them and think "I think I remember learning about that in grade school. Isn't that bad? Does this mean I should be against this bill?" without figuring out what the words themselves actually mean. Sorry, but semantics matter. It's not that surprising to me that people don't care about it anymore since we live in an era where we have shortened our speech patterns to outside the arena of texting. To me, saying healthcare reform is any of these words is the semantic version of "Let's eat Grandma" vs. "Let's eat, Grandma." There's a big difference there. And it's only by the placement of a comma do we go from cannibilism to stating that it's time to have a meal with your grandmother.

A little side note: If you're really against this so-called socialism, I will gladly take your Social Security checks and Medicare benefits off your hands when you retire. We've had "socialized" retirement and healthcare for decades now. Didn't think about that one, did you? If you're already retired, I'll take your Social Security checks any day to supplement my income. I need to pay off student loans. :)

Here's a blog post that I felt sums up my feelings towards the GOP at the moment, as well:

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/round-up-or-down-house-members-react-to-dems-knew-plan-to-pass-health-care-reform.php?ref=fpa

The Democrats really aren't any better as far as party politics is concerned. They are pretty much taking the stance that since they are in a majority, they are just going to simply do what they want since they have Obama to rubberstamp what they pass and not consult with the GOP. This is not the way to govern our country, people! There needs to be public discourse between parties so that the bill really is for the people since the vast majority of people in this country identify with either party. To me, if it's truly a bipartisan bill, both parties are OK with it as a whole and still have problems with the details. That's OK. That's what legislation is for. You can fix parts of it if it becomes apparent it's not working. And that's what I find so funny about the healthcare bill. There are amendments and provisions in there that the GOP put in, and yet they unanimously voted against it just because they feel it will better them politically to stand against it. It remains to be seen if this will bite them in the ass when it comes to elections, and that depends on whether the bill is seen as a success or failure in the months leading up to the mid-term elections.

And as for Congress itself, they need a major overhaul. They haven't been able to do their job in over a decade because of this aura of hyper-partisanship surrounding Capitol Hill. When the GOP had power in the 90's, they killed healthcare the first time around under Clinton. The Dems killed Social Security privatization in return a few years ago under Bush. It seems like neither party wants to be an adult about all this and work across the aisle because they are still licking their wounds. This is why I think a 3rd political party is needed. They can come in and actually legislate while they spend all their time fighting. I'd imagine the Democrats and Republicans would eventually go the way of the Federalists, Whigs and all the other political parties and just evolve into another party.

I can see why George Washington didn't have a political party. I think his fears have become a reality. He feared they would lead to nothing but conflict and stagnation. And what do we have today? Fighting between the parties and threats of filibuster. The founding fathers as a whole I think would be rolling in their graves if they saw the way our government runs now. Hell, they are probably yelling at the top of their lungs up in heaven, hoping Congress will get with the picture.

Here's another good article I've found over the course of the week: http://www.newsweek.com/id/235560/page/1

Ugh. That's just little old me and my opinion.

My Muse

I'm going to have a minor pop culture moment. Or a music snob moment. Look at it whichever way you want.

I know I bitch about this frequently to my friends and ocassionally as status updates on Facebook. Anyone who has known me for the past maybe 5 years or so knows I'm a Muse fan. I remember hearing "Stockholm Syndrome" and thinking that it was a really good song. Fast forward to 2006 when Black Holes and Revelations came out. By then, they had released a few more songs that they played on the radio in the US - "Time is Running Out" & "Hysteria" among them. I had really liked all the singles they put out from Absolution. The first couple singles off BH&R were amazing, then I was hit with pure sonic bliss otherwise known as "Knights of Cydonia." I was hooked from then on. I went back and downloaded Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry and completed Absolution. I've recently finished tracking down all their old singles for the B-sides. Long story short, I now have a near-complete Muse discography.

Hell, I drove 16 hours roundtrip last weekend to see them in Atlanta. Honestly, I'd drive all night if I had to to see them. If I could afford it, I'd follow them on their entire North America tour and go to Coachella next month just for them (OK, maybe Muse, Thom Yorke, Them Crooked Vultures and MGMT. Damn...why aren't I going to that?)

To the point of this rant.

I hate Twilight for 2 major reasons. #1: The way the books ended was a gigantic cop-out. I lost all my respect for Stephenie Meyer as an author and the books as a whole after I finished reading Breaking Dawn. Are you really going to end the series you just spent 4 books setting up with a verbal discussion and have everyone live happily ever after? Really? They're fucking vampires. Have some blood and guts, for Christ's sake. Even Harry Potter, which is aimed at a younger audience, had the courage to kill off a few of beloved characters. And that was even before the 7th book even started. #2: If it weren't for Twilight, Muse would not be anywhere as near as popular as they are right now. I am in no way accusing them of selling out. They were selling out concerts in coliseums in Europe long before I had ever heard of them. I just feel that their music is above the average Twi-hard's head. I don't think any other band they would typically listen to would have references to the Chaos Theory ("Butterflies and Hurricanes"), not to mention a song named after a psychological condition. OK, kiddies. No cheating. What is Stockholm Syndrome? Most people who say they like Muse only like them because of Twilight and I'm sure if I put them on the spot and asked them to name one song that isn't on the soundtrack, BH&R or The Resistance, they wouldn't know. Name me the B-side for Uno. Hell, name one album that came out before BH&R. And even if you can name me those things, can you honestly tell me you knew who they were before Twilight? Their music is just so out there lyrically, I don't know how it inspired Stephenie Meyer to write a vampire love story. Do you really think "Starlight" is a love song about another person? I'm sure your're wondering "But what about 'I Belong to You?'" It's a song they re-did so they could include it on the New Moon soundtrack since they wanted exclusivity. And I'll give you that it's pretty much a love song, but it's on an album that is extremely political. Besides, it was released in 2009, after the books were done being published.

Ugh. I'm done. I just needed to get all that out in the open. I am in no way letting my bias against Twilight put a damper on my love affair with Muse.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

3rd political party in the US future?

Can there please be a 3rd political party soon? I know I said last time I'm Democratic. But the Democrats unfortunately don't have backbone to push through any legislation. I refuse to switch to Republicans because generally speaking, they don't give a damn about anything except for keeping the rich rich and scaring the American people into believing what they want them to so that they can get away with murder. I'm trying to believe that America will open their eyes and see that the current system is extremely corrupt.

To me, the only way to make any real change in this country is to create this 3rd party. Vote out everyone currently in office. They don't really care about the American people, they just want to keep their pockets lined with lobbyist money. And the Supreme Court basically just said "Fuck you" to the people they are supposed to be working for when they voted to allow lobbying firms to donate unlimited money to campaign funds. Really, Supreme Court? Really? How are We The People supposed to gain any influence with these politicians if you can give them all the money they want so that they will do what you want?

And this B.S. Tea Party movement is making me want to cry. OK, you're against new taxes. Are you really such a cold-hearted person that you don't care if your family, friends and neighbors are dropping like flies because they can't afford health insurance anymore? I'm going to generalize here for a moment. Generally speaking, the people in this movement are Republicans. Generally speaking, Republicans are God-fearing Christians.

Matthew 25:45 - Then he will answer them, saying, "Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."

I'm pretty sure Jesus wouldn't look too kindly on everyone not wanting to help out their fellow man.

First Post :)

Let me preface this whole blog by saying I am a proud Democrat. And yes, I got the title for this blog from a Muse song.

I was just on YouTube and one of the featured clips was from Media Matters. It was a mash-up of a clip of Dwight from The Office and a clip of Glenn Beck's radio program. They were both talking about crazy conspiracy theories about OnStar and how the government is using it to spy on Americans.

While I'm pretty sure they can get away with it because of the B.S. piece of legislation that is known as the Patriot Act, I am loving the irony of the situation. Of course when Bush was in office, they (the conservative media) didn't have any problem with OnStar and consumer products like it. But now that the crazy liberal crackpot Obama is in office, it's a horrible thing that we must stand up against and get rid of.

And then there's the pissing contest between the White House and Fox News. I'm sure the White House would love to have Fox News around and more involved. But ever since he was elected, and even during the campaign, they did nothing but spew hate and lies. They haven't been playing ball at all during his candidacy and presidency. Unfortunately, a good chunk of Americans are buying into the crap that they are spewing and not looking further into what Fox is saying or what they have been trying to accomplish in D.C. They are flocking to Fox News because they are scared of change, even if it's good change, and the wonderful folks at Fox are feeding them the lies that make them feel better and sleep at night. Do your research people!! Don't believe a word anyone says (liberal or conservative) without looking further into it! While I am a Democrat, I'm not looking at the adminstration or Congress through rose-colored glasses. They all have some major flaws, but until the next round of elections next year, we have to deal with what we have.

Glenn Beck himself is a topic for another post...

As is thoughts on health care reform and the war...